Egypt is facing many challenges in water resources domain – minister

CAIRO – Egyptian Irrigation and Water resources Minister Mohamed Abdel Aati stressed on Thursday that Egypt is facing many challenges in the water resources domain, which requires raising awareness among people or decision makers of the importance of preserving water.

He said water has a pivotal role in achieving sustainable development.

Abdel Aati’s remarks came during his participation in a video-conferencing ministerial session held on the sidelines of African water Week which is held under the sponsorship of the African Union and the African Water Ministers Council.

Egypt is looking forward to hosting the next climate conference in 2022 (COP27) as it constitutes a golden opportunity to expound challenges facing the African continent in the water domain.

Out of conviction of the importance of water axis in the climate change file, the fifth Cairo Water Week, to be held in October 2022, was themed “Water on the top of the global climate agenda”, he said, stressing the importance that water-related challenges receive adequate international attention, especially in African countries.

He reiterated Egypt’s support of development in African countries through carrying out several projects in the water domain, expressing the country’s readiness to exchange technical expertise and successful experiments with brotherly African countries.

He expounded the axes of the 2037 national plan for water resources and measures taken by the ministry as regards the rational management of groundwater since deep groundwater in Egypt is not renewable.

He also referred to the ministry’s efforts to use solar energy in operating wells to reduce emissions and apply automatic operating and monitoring system of underground wells.

The African ministers lauded the Cairo water weeks that are held in October of every year to review challenges facing African countries in the water resources domain.

They lauded Egypt’s support of African countries in the training and technical support domains via the regional center of the ministry.